Ryan Gosling’s latest film, The Fall Guy, has been a great reminder of one of his best performances in the 2016 box office flop The Nice Guys. The movie, set in the 1970s, follows two private detectives played by Gosling and Russell Crowe as they investigate the interwoven mysteries of a missing girl and the suspicious death of an adult film star. The film was a critical hit, praised for its hilarious performances and engaging mystery. However, it performed poorly at the box office, grossing a worldwide total of $62.8 million against a production budget of $50 million.
Although The Nice Guys did not perform well at the box office when it was released, it has gained a loyal following over the years and become a cult classic. The movie was highly regarded by critics and currently holds a Rotten Tomatoes score of 91%, which makes it one of Ryan Gosling’s best-rated films. Following his successful performances in recent hit comedy movies, including his Oscar-nominated role in Barbie, there is renewed interest in The Nice Guys. There are even hopeful rumors that Gosling may reprise his role as Holland March in a potential Nice Guys sequel.
Gosling’s latest role in The Fall Guy has inspired comparisons to The Nice Guys. Both films blend action and humor and allow Gosling to show off his physical comedy skills, which were underutilized during his earlier run of dramatic roles. The many stunts performed by Gosling’s character in The Fall Guy also call back to The Nice Guys‘s running joke that Holland March must be invincible because there’s no other way he could survive so many dangerous situations. Fans aren’t the only ones drawing this parallel. The Nice Guys has come up several times on Gosling’s latest press tour.
During a recent interview with Collider, Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt teased a potential sequel to The Nice Guys. Blunt praised the film, and suggested that she would love to make a cameo in a Nice Guys sequel. Gosling’s Nice Guys co-star Russell Crowe has also hinted at follow-up. During press for The Pope’s Exorcist, Crowe suggested that he and Gosling reprise their roles for a sequel called Nice Guys: The Mexican Detectives. Despite the joking tone of these interviews, it seems the actors would be ready to sign onto a sequel if it was ever greenlit.
Although The Nice Guys received critical acclaim and garnered strong support from fans and the film’s own cast, the chances of a sequel being made are quite slim. Studios typically base their decision to approve sequels on a film’s box office performance, and unfortunately, The Nice Guys did not perform well enough during its opening weekend and barely broke even during its theatrical run. Despite gaining a huge cult following on streaming platforms and having a devoted fan base, the lack of box office success is enough to make any studio hesitant to greenlight a sequel.
However, there’s always hope that the film’s cult status will be enough to encourage studios to take a chance on a sequel. The movie’s ending perfectly sets up the possibility of a franchise, with Gosling and Crowe’s characters officially deciding to team up and create the Nice Guys Detective Agency. The lead cast and writer/director Shane Black have all expressed interest in returning to the story, so all they need is studio approval. It may take years, but hopefully with enough encouragement from fans, The Nice Guys will eventually return to the big screen.